HELP! No Headlight!
 

Let me start by saying I hate electrical. It ALWAYS haunts me.
If it wasnt for my passionate hate against electrical problems I would have my final ASE cert & would be making ALOT more money.

Anyway - My headlight is intermittently shutting off while riding. On startup, its on...works fine. through the parking lot, fine. into 2nd gear, great...3rd gear - GOODBYE - Only into third gear does it decide to go to sleep. No matter how hard I run through the gears, no matter how smooth the road is, speed doesn't matter either.

I know that shifting into ANY gear is the same motion every time...so its clearly not pinching or binding a wire or connection. I get that... might just be a coincidence - But thats when I always notice it.

As soon as I come to a complete (And usually panic stop in the middle of the night) it pops back on as if nothing were wrong.

Ive checked EVERY connection. EVERY wire. Im stumped.
Ive sat at idle & free revved to see if maybe its a vibration issue... nothing.

My thought is that the ballast for the HID isn't the problem, or it just WOULDN'T work? Right?

So possibly headlight/horn/indicator switch on the handlebar shorting out?
I hate to just throw money at it until its fixed & not know what the issue was.

Im lost. Any suggestions?!?!?!?

Thanks!

What HID ballast are you running? Some of the inexpensive ones are just that... and I wouldn't count anything out.

Do you have a stock bulb? Try un-plugging all the HID stuff, put a stock bulb in, and seeing if it still acts up. If it does... not the HID stuff. If it doesn't... well you've narrowed it down quite a bit.

Bought the HID unit off ebay 8 months ago....I think I paid $45 - Seemed to be the average..

Ill grab a stock bulb from Auto Zone & give it a shot! Thanks!

the ballast could be bad,ground wire or positive contact.
but from my experience,it could be the starter button.

it could be something else,but the starter button would be something to look at,could be bad connection in the plug or the button is no good.i have had to change the starter button twice.
i dont understand why only in 3rd this happens,could be coincidence,but the same thing happened to me,would ride,lights go out,slam on brakes or turn,lights would go back on.

while the bike is turned on,not running,flick the starter button and see if the lights flicker on and off.
if you need the part number for the starter switch,let me know,it is not what it is on the honda sites.they use the rc-51 switch,but its all new part numbers.

Is it a HID kit with a bulb you stick in the stock reflector? The price suggest so... If so, it's a cheap ass junk ballast... And yes, it's the source of the problem...

But, I'm guessing you have another problem too... What R/R are you running... Stock I'd guess... Most likely the diodes are getting tired and at a certain RPM you are outside spec voltage, causing the ballast to re-set or switch state, going from on to off, or vice versa...

Throw the junk ballast out, and do the lighting the rigth way... And swap the R/R...

I'll put $100 on it's not "acting up" ie, you won't see anything, but it does... A stock bulb doesn't reset... It just flickers very fast when the voltage changes...

Reinstall your stock set up and I bet it works as advertised.

Hi All,
I have a standard lighting system on a 2001 model and have the light going out also.
Any help would be appreciated.

Casper, welcome to the forum. You should probly start your own thread.

What situations does you light go out? Did you check the plug on the back of the headlight?

I had similar issue issue when u put your high beams on dose the light on the dash light up this will determin if it is the switch connector or the connector at the globe connector.

When my headlight went out ( and come back on if i hit a bump or tapped the fairing thought it was the globe) and i put high beams on the dash light woould not light up and i traced the issue down to the connector block behind the cluster on the right hand sidewhen ur sitting on the bike my wire in the block was loose so i soldered it on and made sure the connector was tight fitting have not had an issue since.

Hey having a good laugh at the banter going on:) I start the bike and I can ride maybe 10 meters before it will go out but then it may go out straight after starting I have checked the connectors and they seem ok. I can ride for a bit and then the light comes back on.
Cheers

When it comes back on after riding a bit, does it stay on or keep going out / coming back on and does it always come back on after riding a bit?

What about high beam / low beam? Do both act the same?

Headlight problems.
 

On Honda M/C's from around 1985 on up when you crank over the engine starter the headlight is turned off by a micro switch inside the engine starter switch.


This helps to save the battery from draining when starting the bike.


Over time this micro switch gets funky from dirt and grime.


Take the engine starter button / switch off the right bar by removing the 2 Phillips head screws and place the switch on a shop towel.


Use compressed air to blow any remain gunk out of the button / switch casings.


Using electrical contact cleaner spray down the inside of the engine start button / switch.


Before the contact cleaner evaporates work the starter button while spaying cleaner on the switch.


Clean the entire inside of the engine starter button / switch with electrical contact cleaner.


Use compressed air to blow dry engine starter button / switch.


Now turn the bikes key to the start position and see if your headlight works as designed.


If it does apply a liberal amount of Die Electric Grease to the inside of the starter button / switch on all open electrical connections.


Reinstall the engine starter button / switch onto the right handle bar making sure the anti rotate plastic tab is in the dilled hole on the right handle bar, tighten housing screws to OEM specs and you should be good to go!


SIRR1